Keith Gow, Writer

Psst, I have a secret that I want to share with the double-digit number of people that read this blog. I am not sure it’s wise to share this tidbit of information, since it has led to some awesome meetings and awkward pauses and hilarious confusion. But I think I’ll whisper it here, just to prove I’m not trying to use this confusion to my advantage.
I am not Michael Gow.
I am also not this Keith Gow - but I was only ever possibly confused with him once at an AWG event in Sydney about ten years ago. It was cleared up when I went up to grab my conference pass and I was clearly not an 80 year old man.
Michael Gow is best known for writing Away, Sweet Phoebe, Toy Soldiers – and being Artistic Director of the Queensland Theatre Company for 11 years.
I am best known for... Painting with Words & Fire? Writing a lot? This blog?
Granted, it’s lovely to be confused with Michael Gow. There aren’t a lot of us Gows out there. Certainly few famous ones. Growing up, the Gow family name was best…

1.

Ever since seeing their production of Thyestes, I have made it a point to see every production by The Hayloft Project. With the independent theatre scene flourishing in Melbourne, it’s impossible to see everything – even by companies I admire. But Hayloft is as restrained in the number of productions they do as they are in the productions themselves, so seeing all of their work in Melbourne is easy to do. And such a pleasure.
Writer and director Benedict Hardie’s The Seizure, is a take on the myth of Philoctetes – after Sophocles, who tried his hand at writing a play about this story twice in his long career. Hayloft’s work is often defined by its minimalism, but I think this production is its most subtle and graceful yet. The set – charcoal drawings on a white floor/ white wall - evokes the image of a beach on an island, without a grain said or a tuft of grass. The cast of four are rarely on stage together and the dialogue they have is sparse and precise. It’s both the story of P…